Coupling for listening-tubes.



H. A. YERKBS.

COUPLING FOR LISTENING TUBES.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. s, 1913.

1 107 471 Patnted Aug. 18, 1914.

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iONE COMPAN J. vGJEIIlA.

TES PATENT OFFICE.

YERKES, F HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN OF BEIDGEPORT,CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATIQN OF EE'ZE'UPLING- 1 01-3 LISTENING-TUEES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Paton ted All". 18, 1914.

To all echo m it may concern it known that I, citizen of the United ofliachenszclc,llew Jctx (whose postoiiice address is Hackensaclr, LewJersey) have invented a new and useful Improvement in Couplingsistening-Tubcs, which invention is fully set forth in the followingspecification.

1e invention is intended primarily for hophones or othertalking-machines eyed for language-lessens, especially machines 02'? theconstruction employed for re n-oducing disk I'CCOICls and known as Ifmchines )0 present day, the greater number of leg machines, andpructically all disk machines, employ a large, flaring horn,

. i. Yennns, and a resident either externel andyisible or concealedWithin a cabinet. But when talking-min chines are used for the study oflanguages, Where the student desires to have the some passages repeatedagain and again, it is in many cases i'irei terable to employlisteningtuljies instead of horns, so that the sounds will be moreclearly and accurately conveyed to the ears of the student, and Will beaudible only to the student and not to others.

Listening-tubes are commonly used in transcribing fromdictation-machines. But these machines are constructed to utilizecylindrical records; and the construction of the disk-machines is suchas to prevent the attachment thereto of the ordinary listening-tubes,and there are certain acoustical Well as mechanical dilliculties inadapting the ordinary listening-tubes to said disk-machines.

The present invention, then, consists broadly of a novel coupling forconnecting the listening-tube to the souxul-conduit of avtalhingnnachinc.

The imention consists further in the various features hereinafter setforth and claiu'icd.

The llltflllblflfl will be best understood by reference to the-ui'nlexeddrawings that illustrate a preferred embodimentthereof.

In these drawings, Figure l is a side View, partly in section, showingone form of listoning-tube connected to the sound passage or an.ordinary disk talhiun -machine, by. means of a preferred embodiment ofthe new coupling. i ig. 2 is a longitudinal seclion through a. portionof the tube, showing details.

In the drawings, 1 represents the main portion of the listening-tubeproper, a piece of flexible tubing, such as the s0ftrubber tubingordinarily employed for the purpose, having the rigid Y-piece 2 insertedin one end thereof to receive the branch-tubes 3-3 of similarconstruction, which latter lead to the two ear-cups 4-. If desired,however, there may be but one ear-cup only; and the construction of thatmember may be varied considerably.

5 represents the throat of the sound conduit of the talking-machine,which conduit terminates in 2. screw-threaded socket 6 (that may beswivelecl thereon), in which is usually secured the smaller end of theordinary horn (not shown). Ineutilizing the present invention, the hornis removed from its socket G, and the new coupling secured therein.

Preferably the coupling comprises a. twopart cap or cover, whereof 7 isa ring, which may be a metal casting or struck up from sheet-metal,having the external screwthreads to engage the threads in the socket (i;and S is a. member, preferably domeshaped as shown, secured over theouter end of ring 7, and with it constitutes the cap or cover.

9 is a tube passing centrally through the member S'and rigidly securedthereto.

10 is a tubular elbow member, one end of which telescopes over the innerend of the tube 8, While the other end extends downward into throat 5and carries an obturator in the form of the rubber cup ll whichencircles the tube snugly and fits snugly with in said throat. Anadditional tubular member 12 fits over the outer end of the tube 9, andmay be secured thereto as by a small pin or sets-crew 13. The end of theflexible tubing l is passed over the reduced outer end oi this lastnamed tube 12. Preferably there will be a souiul-modiher, comprising adisk 14 fitted Within the bore of tube 12 and secured'to a shaft 15journaled transversely thereof. At the extended outer end of this shaftis secured a hollow cap 16 that serves as a handle; while the other endof the shaftis screw-threaded to receive the lock-nut 17. A coil. spring18 within the hollow handle surrounds the shaft, and forces the diskagainst the wall of its tube with sutlicient pressure to hold it in anydesired position of axial adjustment.

To-connect the coupling to the talkingmachine, the flaring horn isremoved from socket (3, and the cup 11 and elbow are inserted into thethroat 5, and the cap 78 engaged with the socket 6 and then screweddown. The free engagement of the tube 9 upon the elbow member 10 permitsthis to be done without moving the rubber cup. If

desired, the flexible tube 1 can be removed beforehand, and thenrestored to place after the coupling has been screwed home. To

remove the parts, the flexible tubing 1 can be entirely removed by thepresence of the obturator l4.

In the reproduction of different soundrecords containinglanguage-lessons, considerable differences in loudness are naturally.

to be' expected; and it has been found very desirable to employasound-modifier such as damper '14. By means of this damper the listenercan more or less mufiie the louder sounds, yet can be able to receivethe full volume of the fainter sounds. 'However', if desired, asound-modifier can be dispensed with and the other parts employed alone.

The invention has thus been described with considerable detail, butonly'for the sake of clearness; since it is not limited to thepreciseconstruction and arrangement of parts shown and described.Various modifi cations of the mechanical construction of the cap 78might be resorted to; the shape and curvature of the elbow-member mightbe varied considerably, according to the shape and direction of thesocket and throat of the sonnd-conduit; and the shape of the cup 11, aswell as its position within the throat, might also be varied to suit therequirements of the particular talking-machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: a V

1. A coupling for listening-tubes for talking-machines, comprising ascrew-threaded cap adapted to be screwed into or out of the socket inthe sound-conveyor of the talking-J machine, a tubular member rigidlysecured to said cap and passing therethrough -to communicate at itsouter end with the listeningtube, a tubular elbow-member telcscopingfreely with the inner end of the last-named member, and' a rubber cupfitted snugly upon the other end of said elbowmember and adapted to fitsnugly within the throat of the sound-conduit.

I 1ng-tube.

3. The combination of a talking-machine having the usual tone-armswinging from a stationary support and with a comparatively large throatat the )ivoted end thereof, an obturator fitted snug y yet removablywithin said throat, and a reduced passageway extending through saidobturator and adapted to receive a listening-tube of smaller diameterthan the throat of said tone-arm.

4. The combination of a talking-machine having the usual tone-armswinging from a stationary support and with a comparatively large throatat the pivoted end thereof, an obturator fitted snugly yet removablywithin said throat, a reduced passageway extending through saidobturator, and means carried at the outer end of said sound-conduit forcentering said passageway.

5. A coupling for listening-tubes for talking machines, adapted to fitsnugly within the throat of the sound-conduit of said machine, a tubularmember carried by and passing through said obturator, a cap adapted tobe secured de tachably over the outlet of said conduit, a tubular membersecured to and passing comprising an obturator through said cap andtelescoping freely with the first-named tubular member, a third tubularmember carrying a sound-modifier and secured to the second-named tubularmemher, and a flexible listening-tube secured to the last-named member.

6. A coupling for listening-tubes for talking-machines, comprising adetachable cap adapted to cover the stationary outlet of thesound-conduit, a tubular member passing through said cap and adapted toreceive the listening-tube, a second tubular member fitted freely on theother end of the firstnamed member and carrying an obturatorfittedsnugly within the throatof the soundconduit. p

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscrib ing witnesses.

HULBERT A. YERKES.

Witnesses

